Coping With Winter
Visiting your boat during the winter could save you a lot of headaches in the spring. Learn how to properly cope with wintertime. Claim #0918191: A BoatUS Member who keeps his boat at a marina in Galesville, Maryland, had always been conscientious about visiting his boat regularly over the winter, but a heart attack left […]
Winterizing Your Boat Engine
Protect your boat’s engine this winter! Follow our comprehensive checklist for outboard and inboard engines to prevent costly damage. When the temperature falls below freezing, if there is water inside your engine or gear case, the result can be a cracked block or housing and a repair bill that runs into the thousands. It is […]
Winterizing Tips: Storage Ashore
Store your boat in water for an early spring launch or ashore for safety. Learn the best support methods and avoid winter storage mishaps. In some parts of the country, where winter means several months of bitterly cold weather, storing boats ashore is the norm. In warmer climates, however, ice and snow may occur infrequently, […]
Offseason Storage for Outboard Engines
Protect your boat engine for winter storage! Follow these tips: fuel conditioner, fogging oil, gearbox maintenance, and more. Take extra care to make sure that your engine is properly protected, especially when storing. You’ll need fuel conditioner, grease, gearbox lubricant, and storage fogging oil. This is only general guidance. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions and […]
Replacing Your Boat’s Water Heater Anode
Often overlooked, your boat’s hot-water heater anode requires periodic replacement and should be on your annual checklist. Most water heaters corrode from the inside out. The first indication you have a problem may be that the tank starts to leak water into the bilge. If that happens, there’s often nothing that can be done aside […]
Electric Heaters
Don’t risk your boat’s safety with a heater! Improper winterizing can lead to cracked engines, fires, and damage. A heater is no substitute for properly winterizing a boat! Numerous freeze claims over the years have proven that point again and again. If you’re tempted to leave your boat with a heater running this winter rather […]
Caring For Your Hydraulic Steering
What you should know about this often overlooked marine system. Some marine systems are so reliable we tend not to notice them. Through-Hull Replacement I’ve owned a few boats in my time, and most of them had hydraulic steering. It’s one of those reliable systems so widespread, it’s all but universal except for boats that […]
Fuel System Checkup
The health of your boat’s fuel system is the difference between a good day on the water and a getting a tow back home. Marine fuel systems are a hot topic. Continued pressure from the federal government to increase the amount of alcohol in fuels has brought serious concerns and changes to the marine industry […]
How To Develop A Hurricane Prep Plan
It’s said that every minute you spend planning saves 10 minutes in execution. When it comes time, you’ll be glad you did hurricane prep. The first step in developing a preparation plan is to review your dock contract for language that may require you to take certain steps or to leave the marina when a […]
How To Lubricate Control Cables
This band-aid solution can give you a bit more time to replace your stiff shift or throttle control cables. When your shift or throttle cables get stiff, replacing them is always the preferred solution but unfortunately control cables are expensive and may represent an unwelcome stress on the household budget. Here’s a temporary alternative that […]
